This invention relates to the transformation of organic compounds. In particular, the invention is a process to transform organic material by biological hydroxylation followed by hydrogenation and/or hydrogenolysis.
Transformations of organic compounds in aqueous environments are of considerable intrinsic interest and of great economic importance. Most of the world's fuel sources and synthetic fuel precursors have been naturally formed and modified under such conditions. The potential economic incentives for converting and upgrading organic-containing resource materials by aqueous rather than conventional hydrogen treatments is enormous. Despite the scientific and economic importance, available work on reactions of organic compounds and resource materials in water at temperatures above about 100.degree. C. has been sparse and fragmentary.
Important reactions in the processing of petrochemical and other heavy hydrocarbon streams containing aromatic compounds involve the activation of aromatic rings by hydrogenation and subsequent reactions that result in cracked and ring-opened products. In this invention, a process is provided that combines the use of a biological organism or catalyst to produce hydroxylated products, thereby activating the feed for further chemical hydrogenation, cleavage and upgrading. The subsequent chemical processing might include conventional hydrotreating, aqueous/CO treatment or other chemical processing and upgrading chemistry.